Bans for Ballance, Bresnan, Gale as CDC announces Yorkshire racism sanctions
Fines also handed out to John Blain, Matthew Hoggard and Rich Pyrah
ESPNcricinfo staff
26-May-2023
Yorkshire's sanctions will be announced at a later date • PA Photos/Getty Images
The ECB's Cricket Disciplinary Commission (CDC) has announced sanctions in the wake of its hearings into allegations of racism at Yorkshire, with a range of suspensions and fines for the six former players and coaches - Gary Ballance, John Blain, Tim Bresnan, Andrew Gale, Matthew Hoggard and Rich Pyrah - who were found guilty of using racist and/or discriminatory language.
The bans will only take effect if the individuals seek to return to playing/coaching within the ECB's jurisdiction. They each have until Friday, June 9 to appeal the CDC decisions.
Gale, the former Yorkshire captain who went on to be head coach between 2016-2021, was fined £6000 and given a four-week suspension from coaching, although he has not been involved with the game since being sacked by the club.
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Ballance, who retired last month having recently switched from representing England to Zimbabwe, received a £3000 fine and six-match playing suspension, having admitted to his offence in advance of the hearing. Bresnan and Hoggard, both former England internationals, were fined £4000, with Bresnan also receiving a four-match ban.
Both Blain, the former Scotland seamer, and Pyrah, who was Gale's assistant at Yorkshire, were handed £2500 fines. All six were reprimanded and urged to take an "appropriate racism/discrimination education course identified by the ECB", at their own expense.
All of the sanctions were less severe than those recommended by the ECB earlier this month.
The charges were laid in the wake of evidence given by former Yorkshire allrounder Azeem Rafiq, following revelations before a parliamentary select committee in 2021. A seventh player, former England captain Michael Vaughan, was cleared of a similar charge of using racist language.
Yorkshire, who admitted four ECB charges ahead of the hearings in March, also face being penalised, with the CDC panel - made up of chair Tim O'Gorman, Mark Milliken-Smith KC and Dr Seema Patel - set to hear submissions on June 27.